Two top Redford advisers earn more than $700,000 a year

Darcy Henton, Calgary Herald02.04.2014

Premier Alison Redford’s former chief of staff, Stephen Carter, right, received a $130,000 severance payout after earning $56,720.19 in six month’s work in 2012, according to the province’s new sunshine list released Friday. The list discloses the salaries of every employee earning more than $100,000 — with the exception of Crown prosecutors — and includes copies of employment and severance contracts.

EDMONTON — Alison Redford’s two top advisers pulled in more than $700,000 between them last year, and the massive public affairs bureau she oversees is loaded with dozens of specialists earning more than $100,000 a year, according to figures revealed Friday as a result of the premier’s promised disclosure policy.

Executive Council Deputy Minister Peter Watson ($342,630) and Redford’s chief of staff Farouk Adatia ($357,706) were the top earners in executive council on the new sunshine list that the Tory government touts as the “gold standard” of disclosure policy in Canada.

Redford pointed out in a Facebook posting Friday that she was fulfilling an election promise, but conceded it would take a toll on members of the Alberta civil service.

Don Scott, associate minister of accountability, transparency and transformation, said Alberta’s salary disclosure takes the nod over other provinces because it discloses the salaries of every employee earning more than $100,000 — with the exception of Crown prosecutors — and includes copies of employment and severance contracts.

It does not include agencies, boards and commissions, but Scott said he is still working on that.

“I do believe some people will be uncomfortable with this,” he told reporters at a long-delayed press conference late Friday afternoon.

“That doesn’t surprise me. This is something brand new for Alberta and obviously it marks a big change . . . in how we have shared information previously.”

In fact, the news conference was delayed by a prosecutor who won an injunction to prevent the government from revealing the salaries of 300 colleagues. Government officials had to remove their information from the list of 3,400 employees before it could be posted online.

The list revealed for the first time the exact salaries of officials in the premier’s office and filled in details of some controversial severance payments made to her departing staff.

It revealed that Redford’s former chief of staff, Stephen Carter, received a $130,000 payout after earning $56,720.19 in six month’s work in 2012.

But Canadian Taxpayers Federation spokesman Derek Fildebrandt said rather than slamming salaries and severances that he believes are outrageous, he preferred to focus on the positive.

“I would hope this kind of disclosure means these types of golden handshakes will become less common, now that we can see their contracts,” he said. “I think disclosure is going to mean these extreme cases will be less likely.”

He did question why the salaries of Crown prosecutors in Alberta should be exempted from disclosure when they are listed in B.C., Ontario and Saskatchewan.

The sunshine list includes some large severance payments to deputy ministers and public service commissioners. Government officials say those severances were the result of a policy that paid employees a month of severance for every year worked, to a maximum of 18 years.

Public Service Commissioner Dale Silver netted $478,776.64 in severance in 2012 on top of $186,926 in salary and $55,852 in cash benefits.

NDP Leader Brian Mason said some salaries appear out of line and the government should be setting clear guidelines for salaries paid to all senior managers.

Mason said the release of the Alberta sunshine list shows how differently the government treats its executives compared to front-line workers in the province.

“The compensation for managers is in ironic contrast to the settlement imposed on front-line workers,” he added. “I think the government is more than hypocritical.”

While both managers and front-line workers have been asked to take a salary freeze, Mason said it’s easier to take a freeze when you are earning $200,000 than $40,000.

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